This trip was advertise on the website in November and December of 2005, organised by Andy Leese and myself (Rob Bennett). We found four other carp anglers as up-for it as ourselves. So we decided to go the Dream lakes and fish lake 3 on the exclusive package. This included the cost of secure parking at Dover, pick up from the secure packing by coach, the ferry crossing, all the French tolls, insurance on tackle in transit, the lake fee, breakfast and evening meals, then brought back to Dover secure by coach again. All this was only £520, and the lake was full of fantastically healthy fish, carp up to 53lb and cats up to 90lb.

What can we say about dream lakes? Well first things first, the name of the complex describes it the best; the fishing was immense. Everyone on the trip obtaining their new personal best, and by a considerable amount.

We started out on the Friday morning, with the six of us meeting up in the knutsford services at 10 ‘o’clock, buzzing with excitement and expectations of what the week ahead had in store of us.

We arrived at the secure parking at about 1600hr and booked the vans in, as pickup by the coaches was at 2200hr then we decided not the hang around so we found the nearest boozer and got in there, were we had a few drinks and something to eat. 2200hr came around and it was a mad half hour making sure that all our kit got put on the trailer safely, but after that was done it was on the coach, onto the ferry and off to the lakes.

We arrived at the lakes at about 0530hr and it was a case to unloading the kit off the big trailer and then reloading it on to a transit as the DL3 was a 3-4minute walk from the main complex.

The kit was then run up to the lake and the draw for the pegs was done.

Everyone on that lake was then put into a random order in which one at a time you could choose your pegs.

With the peg choice made our kit was taken round to the pegs of choice. For Simon, Steve, Gordon and myself we were given the use of a transit van so we could take our kit to the far side of the lake.

Finally on the bank…. 07:00hr… with breakfast at 10:00hr we had a few hours to get ourselves sorted. After breakfast the fishing began. The first fish coming out at 30lb 10oz common carp to Andy Leese, from then onwards the week just got better and better. 

With the whether being as hot and humid as it was this brought out the wildlife in abundance. From the usual spiders and mosquitoes to large wasps and grass snakes, and I even had a field mouse living in my bivvy with me. It was that hot we saw the catfish basking on the top and ‘boshing’ out. The catfish were caught on the most unlikely of baits, they were caught on corn and maize, one even coming out on a five foot zig to Sandra.

Andy decided that it was that hot that he would go and take a swim, so he swam out to his baited area and poured out the bait, later that night he went on to have two 30’s off this patch. The rest of us didn’t quiet go to that extent however after the third day on the lake some serious spoding went on. I personally went though 5kg of corn and maize in two days.

The good whether also meant that we could sit out later at night and have a few beers,  have a chat about the fishing, what we were doing and what we were going to try.

Well it felt like it had taken years to get to the lakes however once there our time was quickly over and Friday soon came around, it was the shortest week ever. As time had flown by and we’d all enjoyed it. Packing up was hard especially winding in that last rod. But, all good things have to come to an end.

We all came back happy with what we had done in the week; everyone on the trip getting a new PB and everyone had had a laugh.

We have all come back enthusiastic about going back next year.